Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini was delighted with their 3-1 win against Athletic Bilbao.

January signings Chimy Avila and Johnny Cardoso were both on the scoresheet for the victory.

Pellegrini later said: "Very important for the locker room, for the championship because we are still in the European zone. We were all hurt by what happened on Thursday, but they are different competitions.

"We want to move forward in Europe, but as I always say, without neglecting LaLiga. We were all hurt and it was an obligation to win the game at home. It had been difficult for us and we had to give people joy."

On Cardoso, he added: "He is very organised, intelligent. He needs to adapt to the league, but from the first minute he is performing very well."